Marilyn Writes

Marilyn MacGruder Barnewall began her career as a journalist with the Wyoming Eagle in Cheyenne. During her 20 year banking career, she wrote extensively for The American Banker, Bank Marketing Magazine, Trust Marketing Magazine, and other major industry publications. The American Bankers Association (ABA) published Barnewall’s Profitable Private Banking: the Complete Blueprint, in 1987. She taught private banking at Colorado University for the ABA and trained private bankers in Singapore.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

CHAOS: Joshua Vs. Jericho And Trump Vs. Deep State

By Marilyn M. Barnewall

Mar 25, 2018

Did you know that 53 percent of Americans are either very or
somewhat worried about the federal government monitoring or invading their
privacy? 24 percent are not too worried, 22 percent are not at all worried and
1 percent don’t know if they are worried. They probably live in one of the
legalized pot states.

Did you know that according to Joseph Bannister, former IRS
investigator, there were 1.3 million cases of identity theft by illegal aliens
from 2011-16? In 2017, an additional 1.2 million cases of tax refund
fraud occurred as illegal aliens used someone else’s Social Security number and
filed income tax returns – and got rebates. These represent only the ones
who were caught… but Bannister says zero confirmed cases were referred to the
Department of Justice or the investigative branch of the IRS for prosecution.

Evidently, you have to be an American citizen to be prosecuted for
violating IRS laws. If one of us stole someone else’s identity to get a
job or a credit card, or if we filed a phony tax return to get a refund and got
caught, we’d be in jail.

That idea tends to support the liberal progressive Democrat belief
that illegal aliens are entitled to more consideration by government than
Americans born in this country. Dreamers (DACA) are idolized by
Democrats.

The IRS is run by liberals. Most government bureaucrats are
liberal. When Lois Lerner, director of the Exempt Organizations Unit (501
(c) (3) at IRS, took the Fifth and refused to testify in a Congressional
Committee Hearing, Congress had no control over that agency… or any other, if
the FBI and Department of Justice are any indication.

Is it any wonder that Americans have no confidence in
government? All government seems capable of doing is creating chaos!

Interestingly, a lot of brainiacs who spend their days looking out
of think tank windows believe that chaos provides the quickest road to defeat
American nationalism and is a quick road to a collectivist new world
order. It is well known that people, especially voters, cannot think
straight in the midst of chaos. Since Democrats have no viable political
platform for the 2018 elections, it appears they have opted for chaos… thus
James Comey, Robert Mueller, RussiaBait, etc.

A lot happened in this week’s news that pushes the “create chaos”
meter forward.

This week’s news
announced that senior management levels of our taxpayer-funded intelligence
agencies have established their own set of rules (and possibly coordinate with
rogue intelligence agents around the world) to remove from office a duly
elected constitutional President. The Deep State makes a joke of the
Constitution they took an Oath to defend from enemies, both foreign and
domestic.

Isn’t there a penalty for a violation of Oath of Office?

We will likely never know because of a (rare) factual answer
provided by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on MSNBC about whether President
Trump’s investigation into the Deep State was taking on America’s intelligence
agencies.

“You take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from
Sunday of getting back at you,” Senator Schumer said, smiling.

Looking at the evidence (not just opinions, but hard evidence) of
the firing of Assistant FBI Director Andrew McCabe a week ago, the FBI seems to
think it gets to make its own rules and each agent is free to interpret them
and also decide if they will follow them. Constitutionally, however, they
are required to follow the rules of the Department of Justice (if anyone is
there to enforce them). One would hope the DOJ follows and enforces the
laws as defined by our Constitution, but there is little evidence it’s being
applied to elitists and intelligence operatives.

Also in this week’s news, after President Trump signed a budget
that included a giant deficit and then placed a huge tariff penalty on Chinese
imports, the stock market dropped like a rock and ended the week down more than
7 percent. The market is still far ahead of where it was when Trump took
office and the GDP maintains a 3 percent growth level for the first time in
many years, but this kind of market reaction is unsettling, to say the least.

Are you aware that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s family
(wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell) owns a major Hong Kong-based
shipping company, Foremost Maritime Corporation, that delivers Chinese goods to
America? Was Trump sending the McConnells a hidden message?
Whatever his purpose, he enraged his conservative base – and rightfully
so. Be patient. There is a chess game going on here.

Millennials and other children learned that Mark Zuckerberg,
creator of their personal ego mirror, Facebook, has been sharing their
“personal” data (which they post on the worldwide web by choice) with every
kind of hoodlum, worldwide. Like Lois Lerner, Zuckerberg thinks he should
be the one to determine which political views are made available to the
public. He’s in trouble.

In Austin, TX, a 24-year old and very attractive young man with a
gentle smile placed bombs on people’s doorsteps – or took them to Federal
Express – to kill and maim complete strangers. Neighbors say he was
raised by good parents who were very involved in his life and that the family
seemed happy and normal in every way.

Did the chaos get to him? So much of our chaotic news and
entertainment and computer and cell phone games involve violence! Or was
he a victim of the feminist drive to remove male dominant traits from boys and
replace them with feminine traits (“either change or take Ritalin”)?
Girls are easier to handle. We will never get the answer to that
question.

Thousands of mostly young people attended a March for our Lives
protest in Washington, D.C., yesterday. They demand stricter gun controls
in reaction to the high school shootings in Florida three weeks ago where 17
lives were lost. There were voter registration booths at this function
and at 800 other protests scheduled around the country yesterday, according to
Stephen Gutowski, a reporter for the Washington Free Beacon.
Now why do you suppose they wanted to register voters during these protests?

If you want to know for which political perspective these protests
were organized, you need only know that those who are financially supporting
them include Michael Bloomberg, George Soros, George Clooney, and other
well-known liberal progressive Democrats. The dollars provided also
helped organize the huge effort to remove guns from the hands of
Americans. I refer you to my News With Views article
on the Florida shooting and gun control.

Since becoming Gun Free Zones, students in our schools have become
helpless potential victims for the mentally depraved and people angered beyond
reason with life in general. These people are free to walk into any
school and start shooting. No one is there to stop them because schools
are “Gun Free” zones.

You cannot fault kids or their parents for wanting something done
to make schools safe again! America’s children are entitled to safe
schools!

Who started the concept of Gun Free Zones in our schools?

Former Vice President Joe Biden, a liberal progressive Democrat,
introduced the Gun-Free School Zones Act which was signed into law in November
of 1990. The Bill prevents any person from knowingly possessing a firearm
in a school zone. Joe probably has a Facebook page which he believes is
being held in strict confidence by Mark Zuckerberg, too. The Democrats
think he would be a good candidate for President in 2020?

I’m waiting for people to tell me why these students aren’t
protesting about kids who kill far more people while driving and texting than
school shootings do. In 2014, 42 percent of teens said they texted while
driving. More than half of all road traffic deaths — averaging 3,287 per
day — occur among young adults.

I’d like to know when they are going to raise the driving age to
21 or force stricter laws on families with children when they buy a car.
Perhaps they could make an engine that automatically turns off when a cell
phone is activated in a car?

Moreover, the school shooting deaths are a tiny percentage of the
killing of unborn babies by Planned Parenthood. The 2015-16 report shows
328,348 abortions performed by Planned Parenthood; in 2016, nine children were
killed in school shootings. Further, Taxpayers who oppose abortion are
forced to give Planned Parenthood $500 million a year… but opposing death by
abortion doesn’t get the guns out of American hands.

Perhaps we should call for demonstrations against anyone under age
21 having sex so unwanted pregnancies and resultant dead babies can be
eliminated. If such a law were passed, it would be just as effective as a
law that takes guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens. Criminals
will always get their hands on illegal guns just as healthy teenagers will find
a way to have sex if they have not been taught the discipline of how – and why
– to avoid it.

The list of problems goes on and on. How about some
solutions?

For example, how do we get rid of sanctuary cities?

If the Congress really wanted to get rid of sanctuary cities they
could pass a law stating that no city (incorporated or unincorporated) or
county or state can declare any population center a sanctuary without a vote of
the people. If this were the law of the land, there would be very few
sanctuary cities. Congress doesn’t want to eliminate sanctuary
cities or it would do so. Your County Commissioners could do the same for
your own county.

How about problems at Veterans Administration Hospitals?

Recruit physicians in the private sector to serve one day a week
(weekends included) at VA hospitals. Won’t that be expensive?
No. Rather than paying them a wage, have them multiply the number of
patients they treat by the amount of their usual per patient charge in the
civilian world. Let them deduct the total annual amount from their taxable income. Physicians always seek good tax shelters. This provides a
good one and is easily verifiable via existing VA patient computer records
already in place.

As liberal progressive Democrats keep heaping more and more
reasons for chaos upon your head, just keep focusing on finding solutions.

Avoid chaos. They want things to be so chaotic you can’t
think. When you can’t think,, you can easily be defeated. Remember
Joshua and what a small group of men did to a large defensive force at Jericho?

The Lord gave us a good example here on how to use chaos to bring
down an enemy that is much larger than you. And remember, the name
“Trump” comes from those trumpets the Lord told Joshua to blow as his small
contingent marched around the walls of Jericho… and the walls fell.

Those who want to end American nationalism in favor of world
government are using chaos against us. They want you to throw your arms
in the air and give up — let your walls come tumbling down. Ignore them
and avoid chaos.

You also might want to spend some time thinking about how Donald
Trump’s behavior in response to liberal chaos creates its own force. When
he speaks, liberal Democrats become chaotic.

Sunday, March 04, 2018

Trump Is Right On Trade

By Marilyn MacGruder Barnewall

News With Views, Mar 04, 2018

Dr. Walter Williams was
the first guest on Mark Levin’s new show on Fox News last week on Sunday
night. It was a fabulous show. We should pay attention to many
comments Dr. Williams made, but one statement stands out as a basic philosophy
we all need to heed.

He said those who think
security is more important than freedom will get little of either; and, those
who think freedom is more important than security will find both.

Keep that in mind as you
read this article. It is important… and it will likely make you aware of
your own personal priority structure. Which do you place first? Do
you prefer security or freedom? We would all like to have both, but if
you had to choose, which would it be?

Other questions you need
to ask yourself as you read this article and listen to supposed experts on the
subject of President Trump’s imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum include the
following:

1.What nation is the
biggest threat to America’s world leadership?

2.Which nation in the world
controls North Korea and its threats of nuclear war against America?

The answer to both
questions is: China. Russia is significant and is not to be
ignored, but China has a population of 1.4 billion and the Russian population
is about 1/3 the size of America’s.

This final question is
one that will indicate whether or not you have any common sense.

Is your nation (in this
case America) dependent for defense materiel like aluminum and steel on the
nation that is the greatest threat to our security internationally? China
produces 1.7 billion tons of steel annually. The answer to the question
is “yes.” Is America’s ability to respond to threats of – or indeed an
actual attack of – war impacted by this? The answer to that
question is also yes.

That should give you
some idea of the importance of the actions regarding tariffs on steel and
aluminum taken by President Trump last week. It was interesting to watch
Utah politicians react negatively to the tariffs (which will stimulate steel
industry jobs in their state and others). Follow the money. Look up
the history of Geneva Steel and Anderson Development and the intended use
of Geneva’s 1,750 acres by Anderson. Interesting stuff.

The U.S. imports most of
its steel from Canada but much of Canada’s steel is owned by investors in
India. We need to remember how 20 percent of our uranium ended up in the
hands of the Russians when Hillary Clinton arranged to sell it to a “Canadian”
company which was owned by Russia (which bought the uranium from the “Canadian”
company). Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Canada’s steel is shipped
to the United States so it is unlikely that Justin Trudeau and the Canadian
government will be happy with the tariffs.

The U.S. is the largest
importer of steel and aluminum in the world. What are two of the most
needed things required to produce weapons of war? Steel and aluminum.

There is little doubt
that the cost of goods will increase because of the tariffs, but how
much? According to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the increased cost for
a can in which to deliver the beer you drink will be one cent. How much
the beer companies will increase the price, telling you it is because of the
increased cost of aluminum, is a different issue. One cent per can is the
actual cost.

According to Andrew
Kenningham, chief global economist at Capital Economics, “The direct impact on
the global economy of the tariffs President Trump announced yesterday would be
minimal. But the fact that they are being justified under a flimsy
pretext of national security increases the risks of retaliation,” Kenningham
says.

We can tell from
Kenningham’s title – chief global economist – whether he is a globalist or a
supporter of American sovereignty (and German, French, British, and other
European nations’ sovereignty, too).

“Steel is needed for the
military” is a flimsy pretext for President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs
on steel and aluminum? Let’s take a look at reality.

An aircraft carrier
contains 47,000 tons of structural steel and serves as home to 6,000 Navy
personnel.

We have all heard the stories – well, those of us who pay
attention to things like this have heard – how military jets have crashed
because they do not have access to new parts. According to a recent article by James Hasik, senior fellow
at the Scowcroft Center on International Security, however, all segments of
America’s domestic steel industry contribute directly or indirectly to the
defense of our nation.

“Whether it is missiles,
jet aircraft, submarines, helicopters, Humvees or munitions, American-made
steels and specialty metals are crucial components of U.S. military
strength. Steel plate is used in the bodies and propulsion systems of the
naval fleet. The control cables on virtually all military aircraft,
including fighter jets and military transport planes, are produced from steel
wire rope. In addition, land-based vehicles such as the Bradley Fighting
Vehicle, Abrams Tank and MRAP vehicles use significant amounts of steel.”

President Trump has
sworn to strengthen our military. It starts with tariffs on steel and
aluminum so that our own production of these key metals can become instantly
available to us should we need them for our national defense.

I understand that under
an anti-military administration like Barack Obama’s that steel is considered “a
flimsy pretext,” but under a President who recognizes that America is not just
an ordinary country and who vows to put “America First,” it is not a flimsy
anything. The military uses it for everything from nuclear submarines to
Patriot and Stinger missiles and armor plate for tanks and field
artillery. Military aircraft and our fleet of ships are also dependent
upon it.

Under President Obama,
our military was reduced in size and necessary goods to support it… in ships
available to defend us, in aircraft available to defend us, and in all ground
troop equipment. President Trump is making sure we are able to defend
ourselves but, more important, is making sure we are sufficiently strong
militarily so other nations will think more than twice before attacking us.

Remember under whose
American administrations North Korea became a nuclear threat to us: Bill
Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. President Trump is working
hard and is playing catch up before Kim Jong-un achieves his nuclear missile
delivery capabilities.

In an April 2017 memo
from President Trump to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Trump asked Ross to
consider whether “steel is being imported into the United States in such
quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national
security.” Thus, while the media is portraying the Trump tariff decision
as an instant, reactionary action, it’s untrue. The President has been
looking into this issue for a year.

What’s the old saying
about the penalty we pay if we forget history? We are bound to repeat it.

I was alive during World
War II… a child, but I remember it well. I recall that for Japan to
sustain its war effort in China, it needed territories that produced oil, iron
for steel-making and other natural minerals (which Japan lacked). Japan
seized oil fields in Indonesia, Malaya (as it was then known), and Burma.
The military-industrial results tell the story. During the war, Japan
produced 70,000 aircraft; the U.S. produced 300,000 aircraft and ten times more
munitions.

Trade wars are not
pleasant events. We can plan on an increase in the cost of some goods
while President Trump keeps his promise to keep American as his primary
consideration for any action he takes. For too long, emphasis has been on
industries profiting at the expense of our national security. It will
take a short period of time for the pendulum to swing away from industrial
profits back to the center of the scale where it belongs. It is not as if
the President has a choice. This is the only way to make his economic
policies work for the people instead of against them and in favor of industry.

The stock market has
been over-valued for a long time. In other words, the price per share is
often greater than companies deserve based on actual productivity. Don’t
worry about the initial reaction – downfall – in the stock market. I
believe it will right itself quickly. We may pay more for goods shipped
from Europe. China may increase its prices for consumer goods where it
knows will be the most painful for lower and middle class Americans: WalMart. That, too, will have a relatively short life because China’s entire economy is
based on its exports. That fact controls how high they can increase
costs. If it gets sufficiently high so the American people stop buying
their goods, it will be too costly for them to continue. The Chinese
economy is big, but it is not in good health at the moment. President
Trump could not have found a better time to take these actions. Are you going
to feel some economic pain? Probably… but it’s far better than slavery to
government and it won’t last long.

For those who hate
capitalism, you might want to learn an economic lesson here. The greatest
weakness of socialist and communist nations is their lack of being able to
develop a middle class. Socialism and communism are two class systems…
the elite and labor. The lack of a middle class creates an economic
problem: Their system of economics (socialism, communism) prevents them
from creating a class of people who can afford to buy products made in their
own nation. That, in turn, requires the socialist/communist economy to be
totally dependent upon exporting its goods to other nations who can afford to
buy them. That is China’s current problem.

All of the college
students out there who think socialism is cool will, undoubtedly, enjoy their
status as laborers after graduating from college. The elite class in
socialist and communist nations is very limited to the extremely wealthy and
since the only other class available is labor, welcome to the realities of
socialism!

“Any man who thinks he
can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him, better
take a closer look at the American Indian.” Henry Ford

Trump is right on this
issue – though by the end of the week you will hardly be able to believe it
based on all of the fake news about his tariffs you’re about to hear.

About Me

Marilyn MacGruder Barnewall began her career in 1956 as a journalist with the Wyoming Eagle in Cheyenne. During her 20 years (plus) as a banker and bank consultant, she wrote extensively for The American Banker, Bank Marketing Magazine, Trust Marketing Magazine, was U.S. Consulting Editor for Private Banker International (London/Dublin), and other major banking industry publications. Barnewall taught private banking at Colorado University and has authored seven banking books, one dog book, and two works of fiction and one biography.
Barnewall is the former editor of The National Peace Officer Magazine and has written editorials for the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News and Newsweek, etc. She has written for News With Views, World Net Daily, Canada Free Press, Christian Business Daily, Business Reform, and others. She has been quoted in Time, Forbes, Wall Street Journal and other national and international publications. She can be found in Who's Who in America (2005-10), Who's Who of American Women (2006-10), Who's Who in Finance and Business (2006-10), and Who's Who in the World (2008).